by Jing Ramos | photography by Doro Barandino

The terrace view offers a lush terrain overlooking Tagbilaran Bay with a cluster of mid-century chairs.

Dauis is a scenic municipality located on Panglao Island in Bohol, known for its historic 17th-century church, unrivalled beaches, and profuse landscape, situated just across Tagbilaran City. Dauis blends cultural heritage with coastal leisure, often considered a quieter alternative to the bustling tourist destination of Alona Beach in the neighborhood.

The landscape of Dauis is characterized by a transition from flat coastal plains to rolling limestone hills, with elevation from sea level. Moving inland from the east toward the northwest, the land rises into moderately steep terrain.

The Glasshouse, perched on the Dauis highlands, is a striking realization of Emma Gomez’s decades-long journey in the hospitality industry, shaped by her rich experiences abroad prior to her arrival in Bohol. It was in Bohol where Emma Gomez developed the iconic Ananyana Beach Resort, offering a signature tropical escape set in Panglao. Currently, Emma has introduced Animula in Tagbilaran, a well-designed restaurant promoting mindful dining.

The Glasshouse proves to be an elegant sanctuary for like-minded individuals. The three-storey building is designed to adapt to the natural slope of the land. The house uses a split-level design that follows the ground’s natural contour to showcase its scenic potential. The interiors offer a harmonious cultural mix of Southeast Asian and European accents while presenting breathtaking vistas of Tagbilaran Bay, creating a calm retreat for those in search of inspiration.

Emma’s constant travels have profoundly influenced her design ethos, and the Glasshouse serves as an exceptional platform for a more relaxed way of life. The house’s modern aesthetic is complemented by views of stunning seascapes, fostering a serene environment that nurtures creativity and connection among guests.

Emma Gomez’s deep appreciation for Filipino craftsmanship is reflected in her selection of traditional materials such as capiz shells and abaca carpets, integrated into the house’s design. Luminous capiz shell lamps provide mood lighting, while woven, textured abaca adds depth and authenticity to the interiors. The Glasshouse functions primarily as a haven for friends in the design and art community, where creativity can flourish in an environment that is both functional and visually compelling.

The Glasshouse embraces the beauty of hybrid Filipino culture, encouraging a sense of community and pride that resonates across Bohol Island. Emma’s philosophy—“chic emerges when elegance resides in simplicity, untouched by embellishment”—transcends the notion of a mere residence; it stands as a vibrant hub where art, design, and cultural heritage converge, all while showcasing the stunning views from the Dauis highlands.

The centerpiece of the dining room is a solid wood table with a rustic aesthetic complemented by an abaca carpet.

The living room features a mid-century wooden sofa in sand coloured upholstery with a distinctive horizontal slat design on the back of the wooden frame accented by two giant capiz shell lamps.

A rectangular infinity-edge pool has components of an integrated hot tub at a higher elevation surrounded by dense tropical vegetation.

The master bedroom en suite has a four poster bed with geometric lines in contrast with the floor treatment of polished concrete hand painted in tropical colors.

The modernist living room characterized by an open concept with a staircase incorporating wooden steps.

Emma Gomez’s design ethos fosters a serene environment drawing inspiration from her constant travels.

by Jing Ramos, photography by Doro Barandino

A Brancusi like sculpture against a polished concrete wall offers a low key entrance to the property.

Maria Luisa Estate Park remains one of the most highly regarded real estate properties in Cebu. The lush landscape offers stunning views of the city. Situated atop the Banilad and Busay hills, the development is known for its high elevation and sweeping panorama of Cebu City and Mactan Island. The hilly topography makes the properties a challenge for building construction. It was no accident that fashion designer Jun Escario and architect Simon Miles chose a very specific look for their house on the rugged slopes of Maria Luisa Estate Park.

The couple have been living for eight years in what appears to be a temple of modernist architecture, defined by functionalism. The design of the house embraces new technologies—reinforced concrete, steel, and glass—to create clean, geometric, and often asymmetrical forms. This postmodernist architecture is characterized by classical elements reinterpreted with modern materials and a touch of irony. The visual shape of the house blends various styles, periods, and materials into a single structure. The focus is on how the building relates to its surroundings, opposing the universal glass-box approach to modernism.

As a result, the house features clean lines, a carefully balanced composition, and exposed building materials, along with spacious rooms and abundant natural light. The style emphasizes volume and perspective, further enhanced by a minimalist outlook.

Jun Escario added, “The concept of the house evolved around several pieces Simon and I already owned, particularly my collection of mid-century furniture, which we were keen to incorporate into the design. We also picked up several paintings and earthen jars from a trip to Santorini. With great respect for our talented Cebu designers, we wanted the overall aesthetics to remain true to our personal style—clutter-free and effortlessly chic. The property itself was laid out utilizing 650 square meters of the lot.”

Simon Miles and Jun Escario in Santorini where the couple picked up a lot of their inspiration

R&Y Agousti Sylvie chair and a black baby grand Weinstein piano define the space of the house’s entrance

A contemporary dining area features a large, vibrant yellow abstract painting and a tall sculptural column reflect the owner’s aesthetic preferences.

R&Y Agousti Sylvie chair and the Barcelona day bed are the prime design elements that characterize the principle of stark simplicity in this living room.

This lounge area features mid-century modern design elements that utilizes a minimalist approach with functional furniture anchored by a puce colored rug.

A large black glass wall divides spaces accompanied by an austere side board with art objects picked up from the couple’s extensive travels.

A low-profile upholstered platform bed with a distinctive padded headboard with clean lines and neutral tones supported by subtle light colored legs.

The entrance is recessed with dim lighting and exposed concrete steps lead to a black door flanked by an earthenware jar from Santorini, setting the mood of the house’s architecture.

by Jing Ramos

David Downton’s illustrations document the glamour of the portrait sitters.

“David Downton’s technique captures all the looks of today, their outline and their sophistication with paradoxical realism.” — Christian Lacroix, fashion designer

David Downton has established himself for over two decades now as the world’s premier fashion artist. His contemporary and stylish portraits of women have had such an impact on the fashion landscape that they have revived interest in fashion illustration in the manner of René Gruau and Antonio Lopez. David Downton believes that these illustrations reflect images of the times in which they were made. “I think fashion illustrations are every bit as evocative as fashion photography. An Antonio Lopez drawing from the 1970s or a René Gruau graphic from the 1940s can stand alongside a Richard Avedon or a Guy Bourdin photograph.”

From the time David Downton was commissioned by the Financial Times in 1996 to cover the Paris couture shows, fashion became his language. He likened the experience to entering Narnia. Inevitably, his career took off, and since then his name has become a byword, covering every base in the most important fashion publications globally: Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, to name a few. Currently, he is an editor-at-large at Graydon Carter’s Air Mail Weekly.

So what makes David Downton distinct from the rest of the fashion tribe? “David Downton has the magical gift of restoring movement, an attitude, the impeccable precision of a fabric, in a few smooth touches that are elegant and intelligent,” Christian Lacroix expounds. Downton’s fashion illustrations create artistic representations of his subjects in an atmosphere that translates conceptual designs into compelling visuals.

When embarking on a portrait, David Downton applies the same criteria as he does with fashion illustrations. The artist claims, “I am looking for beauty and a reductive line, trying to say as much as I can with as little fuss as possible.” The artistic quality that defines his work is purposely lacking in detail, slightly deconstructed, with lots of white space around and above the subject, and above all, the subject’s intense, sphinx-like gaze.

Sofia Coppola, Hotel Ritz,Paris 2012 Dress Marc Jacobs

Daphne Guiness, Claridge, London 2012

Paloma Picasso, London 1999

Iman, New York 2012, Dress, Azzedine Alaia

Anouk Aimee, Hotel Meurice, Paris 2001

Dita Von Teese, London 2012, Veil by Stephen Jones